Massachusetts State Police

The Massachusetts State Police (MSP) is the state police of the US state of Massachusetts, responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state. The MSP was established by Governor John Albion Andrew on 16 May 1865 as the "State Constabulary", and it remained small and informal until 1921, when the MSP grew to comprise 50 officers stationed in barracks across the state with the primary mission of providing law enforcement to rural areas. For much of the twentieth century, the MSP was organized along militaristic lines, and it once had the strictest regimens for physical size requirements for applicants. On 1 July 1992, the Division of State Police, Registry of Motor Vehicles Police, Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police merged into the MSP, which grew to have a strength of 2,300 troopers and 400 civilians in 2008.